We’re forced to live in darkness thanks to neighbour’s HUGE towering hedge – it blocks our TV signal & we want it GONE
DISGRUNTLED residents are forced to live in darkness without TV signal thanks to a neighbour's massive hedge.
Locals in Alvaston, Derbyshire, have slammed a towering row of trees that block their sunlight for around 10-months of the year.
The nuisance conifers were planted nearly 30 years ago by international shipping company UPS, to help block noise coming from their warehouse behind them.
But, they have not been maintained since before the Pandemic, and now fuming locals feel "abandoned".
A spokesperson for UPS commented: "We're always working to be good neighbours in the communities where we operate and where our people live, and we are discussing this matter with the local council."
But Alvaston are not the only residents struggling, with homeowners in nearby Sinfin claiming their mental health has been affected too.
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One said: “I have the same problem on the Chase in Sinfin, I can't even get a TV reception with TV aerial or Freesat. I can only get good sunlight for two to three months in the year.”
The troubling trees sparked outrage among the community, with some slamming the landowner.
"The higher they grow the more dangerous they get as they are a shallow rooted tree," pointed out one resident with safety concerns.
"The landowner has a duty of care to ensure they are safe and also they are not causing a nuisance to others.”
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Another added: “Trees need maintenance, if they are not in a wild setting then they need to be cared for.
"For the sake of the trees as much as anyone. It's not good for trees to be neglected when they are deliberately planted in an urban environment.”
Someone else suggested it may be cheaper and easier for UPS to remove the trees and install fencing instead.
However, there was some support for the natural boundary line.
“I would rather back onto trees than nosey neighbours," said one person.
"And before you ask, we too back onto tall trees (native ones and not non-native conifers) that reduce the sunlight and limit what we can grow to woodland plants.”
What to do if a neighbour's hedge or trees are blocking light in your home
- Before you apply to the council you should try to settle the dispute by asking your neighbour to cut back the hedge or trees.
- If you haven't reached an agreement by speaking with them, you should put your request in writing.
- If you need help to talk to your neighbours, there might be a mediation scheme run by your local council.
- Check whether you can apply for a .
- Apply for a High Hedge Notice.
- Before it will investigate the council will make sure that your application is valid.
- If your application is accepted the local authority will start an investigation.
- You can appeal against a council's decision to issue or not to issue a High Hedge Notice, to withdraw a Notice or vary it. You must appeal within 28 days of being advised about the local authority decision.
This comes as a fuming grandmother says her life has become a "nightmare" because of an overgrown hedge which has destroyed her garden.
Betty Calloway, 90, said her garden has been "swallowed" by the badly maintained hedge.
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Elsewhere, neighbours who chopped a tree in half and were branded ‘the pettiest couple in the UK’ still don't talk to the residents next door three years on.
Plus, other local have gone to war over a row of 20ft trees which some locals want chopped down - but the owners are fighting to keep.
